The Mighty Nile Crocodile

by Bruno Torres, age 10

Nile crocodiles are reptiles with very big, powerful jaws, making them deadly to other animals.

They have an average lifespan of 45 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. Their scientific name is Crocodylus niloticus. It is a carnivore, so it eats meat. A group of crocodiles is called a bask on land and a float on water.

The Nile crocodile weighs up to 2,183 pounds and measures up to 19 feet long. When a male crocodile spots a female, it bellows and splashes to get the female's attention. The Nile crocodile also grunts, groans, and inhales hard through their nostrils to produce a fountain-like spray. When the female croc and the male croc mate, she is ready to lay her eggs in nearly two months. The female croc sits in the area for a nest site. The eggs are usually laid on a riverbank, shoreline, or dry streambed.

The Nile crocodile has sharp teeth and uses them to catch their prey. Nile crocodiles can rip off chunks of an animal's body with just their sharp teeth. Their teeth fall out every two years as new teeth push the old ones out.

Nile crocodiles are very interesting. However, one should proceed with caution if they ever spot one, getting too close can be extremely dangerous!

[Sources: National Geographic]